2018-01-09 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

The first Board of Supervisors meeting for the new year went fairly quickly, lasting barely an hour.

Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, began the meeting at 6:31pm with a call for nominations for the Chair of the Board of Supervisors. Richard Granger was nominated and elected. For the Vice Chair, newly elected Jeff Bueche was nominated and elected. The Board also approved of having Dr. Young serve as the Clerk of the Board.

There was some discussion as to the meeting calendar for the year. The proposed calendar in the Agenda caused some discussion regarding the meetings in July, over the school system's Spring Break, and the one in November. Clarity was also provided that even if there was no meeting in July, the County could still pay it's bills and warrants via the County Administrator. It was finally decided to approve the proposed calendar but with no meeting in July, the March 6th meeting was moved to the 7th, and the November meeting would remain.

Next up was the approval of the Code of Ethics, Standards of Conduct, and Rules and Procedures. The Service Authority Board of Directors was then nominated with the members being Richard Granger, Michael Bennett, Cathy Binder, Ruby Brabo, and Christopher Werle. A letter from Mr. Bennett was read stating that he would be on travel and unable to attend the Service Authority meetings in January but was willing to serve if elected.

The Wireless Authority Board of Directors was then nominated with the members being Richard Granger, Ruby Brabo, John Jenkins, Jeff Bueche, and Cathy Binder.

The Board then went into recess at 6:40pm for the Service Authority Board of Directors and Wireless Authority Board of Directors to meet. It reconvened at 7:08pm to continue with regular business.

For public comment, the only speaker was Kim Dodge who wanted to comment about the budget, finances, and taxes. She said with the property values going up, more money would be collected by the county even if taxes didn't go up. She proposed a roll-back of taxes to offset the property value increase. She said that her income hasn't gone up since she moved here but her taxes have increased  and when she talks to people in the community, everyone is under financial pressure. She also said the water and sewer bills are some of the highest compared to the rest of the state.

The Board then began their reports. John Jenkins thanked Mrs. Dodge for her comments and apologized for missing the last meeting. He wanted to comment that he appreciated Cedell Brooks and Jim Howard and their service and wished them the best of luck.

Jeff Bueche said he was humbled and honored to be elected. He said he spent a lot of time on the other side of the podium and that sitting on the Board definitely had a different point of view. He hopes to stay just as passionate on the Board. He also thanked his wife and family and friends for their support when he ran for office. Bueche thanked Jim Howard for his advice and support. He felt the move to have another citizen on the Service Authority Board of Directors was a positive thing and his intent was to have the Service Authority run as a business. Bueche said he went to Fairview Beach on January 6, 2018 to see how citizens and Dominion Power were responding to the power outage. He said Chief Steve Lynd was on scene with four other emergency responders, Carrington Balderson, Jacob Mahoney, Matthew Callaway, and Bryan Stone. He was very impressed at them going door to door to check on residents and make sure they knew a warming center was open if they needed one. He nominated Shelley Rentz for the Smoot Library Board of Trustees, she was approved, and he then resigned from the Social Services Board and nominated James Brent as a replacement, who was also approved.

Ruby Brabo's report addressed some of Mrs. Dodge's concerns about the increase in property values by clarifying that historically the Board would equalize the tax rate so the County would collect the same amount of money. In other words, with the property values going up, the tax rate would drop or if the property values went down, the tax rate would go up.

Cathy Binder's report was short as she thanked her family and the constituents that elected her. She was honored and humbled and will do her best to serve those she represents and the community as a whole.

Richard Granger also thanked Mrs. Dodge for speaking and said, candidly, that he was not excited about paying more money with regard to the increased home values. He also thanked Ruby for being the Chairwoman for the past two years and presented her with a plaque in appreciation for her service.

The meeting then shifted into high gear with the Consent Agenda being passed, no report from Eric Gregory, the County Attorney, and a long list of appointments and resignations as the Board members filled open positions on various Boards and Committees such as COMREL, GWRC, and the YMCA.

Neiman Young, County Administrator, then gave his report. He said FAMPO (Fredericksburg Area Metropolitan Planning Commission) had notified him that a presentation regarding the new Harry Nice Bridge would be available online on January 18, 2018 and would be open to public comment through the website until February 20, 2018. Supervisor Brabo made a suggestion to the rest of the Board that they should review the presentation prior to the January 23, 2018 Board meeting in order to be ready to prepare a response, as a Board, to FAMPO and Maryland. Dr. Young was also contacted by the Bay Workforce Consortium Development Board looking for representation on their Board. Ryan Gandy and Richard Granger were chosen and Ruby Brabo volunteered as an alternate. Young then suggested the Board begin scheduling work sessions for the upcoming budget. The Board agreed that the first budget work session meeting would take place on January 31, 2018 at 6:30pm. The Board also agreed that future budget work sessions would be every Wednesday evening and every Tuesday evening that the Supervisors does not regularly meet. Dr. Young also reminded the Board to have a citizen ready for nomination to serve on the Citizen Budget Advisory Board by the next Board meeting.

There was no Closed Session so the meeting adjourned at 7:33pm.

Meeting Attendees:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on January 23, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2018-01-09 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

Shortly after the Board of Supervisors began their meeting on January 9, 2018, they adjourned so the Service Authority could conduct their meeting. While this is slightly out of order from a typical meeting night, this was done because the Board of Supervisors needs to open their meeting in order to choose who sits on the Service Authority Board of Directors. Once the Board of Directors is chosen, then the Board of Supervisors can temporarily recess so the Service Authority can meet. This same process is followed for the Wireless Authority Board of Directors which followed shortly after the Service Authority meeting.

The Service Authority opened their meeting at 6:41pm. Both Richard Granger and Christopher Werle were nominated as Chairman of the Board but Supervisor Granger declined in favor of Mr. Werle. Mr. Werle was then voted in as Chairman. For Vice-Chair, Michael Bennett was nominated. Before being voted into that position, County Administrator Neiman Young read a letter from Mr. Bennett stating that he would be absent from the January meetings due to travel but, if nominated for Vice-Chair, was more than willing to serve in that role. Dr. Neiman Young was then voted in as the Secretary/Treasurer.

The calendar of meetings was voted and will follow the previously approved Board of Supervisors calendar for 2018. It will be the same schedule in the Agenda but with no meeting in July, the March 6th meeting was moved to the 7th, and the November meeting would remain. The Board then adopted the Rules and Procedures.

Howard Yarus was the only person to speak during public comment. He wanted to thank the Service Authority for providing him with a copy of the regulations. He came before the Board to speak about the building in Dahlgren [on Rosedale Drive] that was previously owned by the  County and is now a residence. He said the Service Authority should follow their regulations in regard to the connections, specifically the sewer connection. Mr. Yarus wrote three letters to the Service Authority Board and delivered one prior to the meeting beginning. The first letter and the two other letters were also provided to the media.

Richard Granger began his report but was interrupted by Mrs. Kim Dodge. Unfortunately the time for public comment had already passed so she was not allowed to speak. She would speak later in the evening during the public comment for the Board of Supervisors.

Ruby Brabo's report was short as she thanked Jeff Bueche for allowing another Service Authority customer to serve on the Board of Directors. Cathy Binder thanked Mr. Yarus for speaking. Mr. Bennett wasn't present to give a report. Christopher Werle's report began with an update on Chris Thomas, General Manager. Werle said he had met with Human Resources about Thomas' annual review and, in what appeared to be an attempt at humor, was pleased to report that Mr. Thomas was "still here" and added a comment along the lines of the report bust have been good. Mr. Werle also thanked Mr. Yarus for speaking and regarding the building on Rosedale, he would defer judgement to the General Manager for fees and connections.

The Consent Agenda was approved and there was no report from the County Attorney, Eric Gregory.

Chris Thomas, the General Manager of the Service Authority, then gave his report in three parts. The first part was regarding the water issues in Oakland Park. He said calls began coming in on December 26, 2017 regarding low water pressure or no water. Service Authority technicians were dispatched but there was difficulty in determining where the issue originated. Upon more troubleshooting, it was found that the pressure transducer and the pressure gauge for the elevated storage tank were both frozen. Once thawed and replaced, water was flowing as expected however calls were coming in regarding discolored water. The Service Authority informed these customers to flush the lines inside their house and that the Service Authority would adjust their bills. This was done so as not to cause any dangerous ice conditions by flushing the lines outside or using hydrants like it is typically done in warmer temperatures.

Thomas' second portion of his report was regarding similar calls in the Canterbury subdivision with low water pressure and no water calls being made. Unlike Oakland Park, there is no elevated storage tank. Instead, the system uses a ground level storage tank and booster pumps to supply sufficient water pressure to customers. Upon examining the system, the Service Authority discovered the inlet valve for the storage tank was frozen. Control issues were also discovered and some parts were placed on order but the system was working properly at the time.*

Before getting into the third part of his report, Mr. Thomas thanked both groups of customers for being patient. Richard Granger asked if there were any steps that could be taken to use newer or more rugged equipment to prevent this issue in the future. Thomas said some of the issues could have been caused by age. Ruby Brabo said some citizens contacted her asking why the KGALERT system wasn't used during either event. Thomas said it wasn't used due to the holidays and a limited number of people that can issue alerts. His hope was that the new website would alleviate that and did say that Service Authority employees did go door-to-door in Oakland Park to let customers know about the issue.

Thomas finally got to the last part of his update regarding the Rosedale Drive building that has become a home. He said a connection fee is typically charged due to a change of use. He said the building was the previous home of the Dahlgren Sanitation Office and that it did have a toilet and sink that were added with an addition. Thomas said there was no record of any connection fee being paid in the past and that there is no connection for water now but there is a sewer connection now.

There was some brief mention of the proposal of the Board meeting at 6pm but that it would not happen because it would not work for all Board members. There was also a reminder to the Board to expect to name a citizen to the Citizen Budget Advisory Board at the January 23, 2018 meeting.

With no closed session, the Board adjourned at 7:03pm.

*The day after the meeting, January 10, 2018, the Service Authority issued a KGALERT notifying users that "A water leak has been located & is going to be repaired a [sic] soon as utility markings are complete. This problem may be the catalyst of the problems the Canterbury system has been experiencing. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation." It was later announced that the leak had been fixed and that customers could expect discolored water. Another alert was issued the evening of January 11, 2018 stating "crews are on site and water service will be restored as soon as possible" and that the "YMCA is opening its showers to Canterbury residents through Sunday," January 14, 2018.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman, Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:
Michael Bennett (Citizen)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Service Authority will next meet on January 23, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Service Authority Meeting.

2018-01-09 - Wireless Authority Meeting Notes

As with the Service Authority meeting that just adjourned, the Wireless Authority Board of Directors had to wait for their Board to be appointed by the Board of Supervisors before opening their meeting at 7:03pm, on the heels of the just adjourned Service Authority Board meeting.

This meeting was the shortest of the night ending just four minutes after it opened. In that span of time, Richard Granger was chosen as Chairman, Jeff Bueche was chosen as Vice-Chair, and the Secretary/Treasurer will be Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator.

The meeting calendar would be just four times a year with the next meeting being April 3 followed by meetings in August and November. The Bylaws were adopted and there was no public comment. None of the Board of Directors had any updates, there was no Consent Agenda, and the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, had no report.

At 7:07pm, the meeting adjourned.

Meeting Attendees:
Richard Granger (Chairman, Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)
Jeff Bueche (Board of Supervisors)
Cathy Binder (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Wireless Authority will next meet on April 3, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Wireless Authority Meeting. 

OPINION - New King George County Website

After having a few delivery delays, King George County has finally released their new website. You can see how it looks here:

http://www.king-george.va.us/

Savvy users may notice that after signing into your account (optional), the website changes to:

https://va-kinggeorgecounty.civicplus.com/

While it is still too soon to expect a perfectly formed page, we did notice a few minor errors. Primary among them are the use of the previous Board of Supervisors in combination with the newly elected Supervisors.

There are also a few pages that have yet to be populated or built. And as with any major change, users will need to learn where things are and what the new process is for finding something. It will take time to learn where those new pages are and it will take time for those new pages to load.

In more positive news, the website looks nice visually. Using photos from local residents helped spruce up the place and it shows. Images will reportedly change with the seasons giving you a different view through-out the year.

For those nerdy types, there may be some heavy disappointment as the main UI (User Interface) is a menu that has a slow load time and disappears too quickly if you accidentally step off of it. And it has a tendency to stay active when you minimize your browser window or change tabs. Thankfully you can click on the menu title to get a static page of your sub-heading options.

For those same nerdy types, there are a few hidden improvements you may enjoy. There's an RSS feed for certain pages, or all of them. There's also a page to set up email and text alerts for certain departments, or all of them. These appear similar to, but separate from, the KGAlert system. Not all departments have a text alert option but most do. The Staff Directory is also on point and easily searchable and the Calendar is much more navigable, but sometimes difficult to locate. And the Transparency link is a nice nod to making things easier to find.

In the end, I hope things speed up for users and get built out over time. The back-end looks solid and robust enough to support future growth while the front-end just needs a few tweaks to make things easier.

2017-12-19 - Part 3 - Board of Supervisors Meeting Notes

This is the third installment of a long evening of meetings and ceremonies held on December 19, 2017. The previous installments include the Swearing-In Ceremony (Part 1) and the Service Authority Meeting (Part 2).

The Board of Supervisors opened their meeting around 7:20pm shortly after the Service Authority adjourned. Because this meeting was so lengthy, the abbreviated highlights include the Ralph Bunche proposal being passed, the Solar Farm Project proposal being passed, and an update from VDOT on the Route 301 Corridor Study. For more in-depth coverage, please continue reading.

Diving into the details of the meeting, Dr. Neiman Young, County Administrator, briefly noted at the start of the meeting that the swearing-in ceremonies took place earlier in the evening at 6pm. The floor then opened for public comment. Jim Lynch spoke as a representative of the hiking and biking community and reminded the Board that VDOT would present later in the evening and asked the Board to recognize that there are no bicycle or pedestrian crossings in the Dahlgren area to safely cross Route 301. Mr. Lynch also pointed out that a recent newspaper article was partially incorrect in stating that the new Potomac River Bridge would include a bike lane when in fact the bike lane was part of the bid option package, meaning it was not guaranteed to be included. Mr. Lynch also encouraged the Board to reach out to the newly elected Governor of Virginia, Ralph Northam, to gain his support for bike lanes on the new bridge. Mr. Lynch had the only public comment.

Moving to the reports from the Supervisors themselves, Richard Granger said he met with a Cub Scout Pack on December 6th, the joint meeting between the School Board and Board of Supervisors on the 12th, and also thanked Cedell Brooks and Jim Howard for the opportunity to work together with them. Granger also said he looked forward to working with the newly elected Supervisors Cathy Binder and Jeff Bueche.

Jim Howard reported that this was his last meeting and wanted to thank his wife for all of her continued support. He said this was the first meeting she had ever attended and would also be her last. Howard said his wife "supported/tolerated his endeavors" and he greatly appreciated it. After nearly 48 years of living in King George County he has seen a lot of change and a lot of improvements. Despite the bad meetings or bad days, he said things have been overwhelmingly positive. He thanked everyone that has supported him over the years serving with twelve different Boards. Mr. Howard appeared to become emotional towards the end of his report and was graced with a standing ovation from the audience when he finished. Ruby Brabo, Chairwoman, interjected quickly before Mr. Brooks could give his report to present a resolution to Howard for distinguished service from the Board. She read Howard's various tenures on the Board of Supervisors and School Board as well as numerous accomplishments he helped with in the County. She then presented the resolution, another plaque, and his name plate as gifts.

After the applause died down, Cedell Brooks began his report by stating that 26 years ago he "stepped out on faith" and ran for Supervisor against his old high school teacher, Sid Peterson. When interviewed by the newspaper at the time, he told them he won by God's will and feels like he represented those in need over the years. He also said he hopes that there would be a positive vote for Ralph Bunche later in the meeting. Brooks then went on to say he attended Howard's retirement but remarked that Howard's claim that Brooks owed him $20 was false. After some laughs, Brooks then said he received awards from Congressman Wittman this morning and was unexpectedly full of emotion at the time and felt honored by the recognition. He thanked those in attendance and received a standing ovation of his own. Brabo then presented Brooks with the same awards given to Howard except for the resolution which was already awarded at a previous meeting.

Ruby Brabo then went into her report beginning with attending a government and military affairs dinner on December 6, 2017 where she learned that there is a need for an 80,000 square foot office space off-base and not near an entrance to Dahlgren. She also said that Vice-Admiral Thomas Moore was unprepared to answer questions regarding the move of the Chemical Biological Radiological (CBR) Defense Division from Dahlgren to Indian Head, Maryland. CBR built an $8.6 million building in 2002 and employed about 100-150 workers as of July 2017. In a 2016 report, CBR listed many accomplishments including responding to and assisting with the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in Japan as well as ongoing support. Brabo then said she attended the National Association of Counties (NACo) on the 7th and 8th for a poverty summit, the joint budget meeting on the 12th, and a Chesapeake Bay Watershed meeting on the 13th. During this last meeting, she said 12 counties would be able to work together to meet Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) goals and that growth and county income is often curtailed when these goals are limited to a single county. Brabo also attended a holiday luncheon on the 12th where King George County Sheriff's Deputy Shriver and Anne Shooes, a member of the public, were awarded the Making A Difference Award. They received an embroidered hat, trophy, and gift card for there dedication to the community. Chairwoman Brabo also attended the award presentation for Cedell Brooks earlier in the day and wanted to thank both Brooks and Jim Howard for their service. She said that even though they may not have always agreed on everything over the years, they were always professional and respectful. She also reminded the current and future Board members to have a name of a citizen ready for the January meeting to be appointed to the Citizen Advisory Committee.

The Consent Agenda passed as presented.

The first of three public hearings then began with the Port Conway Solar Farm Project. Things began with a presentation from the Community Development Office. The presentation states that the entire area in question covers about 610 acres but the solar panels would only cover about 333 acres. The location would be off of Port Conway Road and the solar company, Community Energy Solar, would lease the land for 35 years from the property owner. During the presentation, it was clear that the solar company had reached out to the local land owners and used their feedback to change their original designs to better suit the concerns of citizens. The Community Development Office also noted that the Planning Commission voted 4-2 to approve the Special Exception Permit and other groups such as VDOT, US Army Corp of Engineers, and the Community Development Office itself approved of the plan.

Community Energy Solar then gave their presentation that included much of the same information but further detailed the impact to the surrounding neighbors as well as their efforts to reduce that impact. These efforts included additional meetings with the community, reducing their footprint near neighbors and roadways, and increasing landscaping to block line-of-sight of the solar panels. The landscaping would be of two different styles, one being more of a solid residential visual barrier and the other being a broken or staggered tree-line. It was questioned how large the trees would be when planted and they clarified the trees would be about one and a half inches around and stand about 4 feet high. The solar company also discussed their plans for decommissioning their facility and the funds they would have to ensure that process occurs. They closed their presentation with a list of community benefits, including an increase in tax revenue, local employment opportunities, and being a quiet and clean neighbor.

Blue represents the proposed solar panel coverage.

The floor then opened for public comment with a written letter from Jim Lynch supporting the plan. Of those commenting in person, the support and opposition for the project was about evenly split. Some neighboring property owners supported it while others did not. Several citizens asked questions and listed concerns that would later be answered by either the County Attorney, Eric Gregory, or the solar company representatives. There was concern about how the project could impact the composite index and school funding but the County Attorney said that the project did not fall into that category due to its size and would therefore not have any impact. The solar representatives did clarify a concern about underground cables being left behind when they leave by stating that many of their cables are run above ground because it is cheaper. They did say that some cables would be buried but that removing them is part of their decommissioning plan. Towards the end of the discussion Supervisor Brooks stated he would rather wait until the new Board is sitting so they could vote on the project. Chairwoman Brabo reminded him that doing so would delay the project unnecessarily because the current Board has already done the research on solar energy and helped pass the updated zoning regulations regarding solar farms. The Planning Commission's vote of 4-2 was clarified as well. The typically nine-person Commission's vote only totaled six because one person quit the group earlier in the year, one person was absent from the meeting, and one person abstained due to a potential conflict of interest.

The Board then concluded their discussion with all members voting in favor of the project moving forward.

The public hearing then began for the disposal of the Ralph Bunche property, a building on the National Register of Historic Places and listed with the Virginia Department of Historic Resources. Starting things off was Dr. Young reading a lengthy statement. His involvement began when working with the George Washington Regional Commission (GWRC) regarding the County's empty properties. GWRC advised Dr. Young should look into working with Echelon Resources in an effort to preserve the Ralph Bunche High School. Echelon Resources, led by Edwin Gaskins, works to preserve and re-purpose historic properties in the state, including Maury Commons in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Echelon submitted an unsolicited bid to purchase Ralph Bunche and thus negotiations began between Echelon, King George County (the property owner), and the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association (RBAA). Young stated that a voice against this project moving forward would be a voice supporting the planned museum to wait. He also stated that during his frequent visits to the site, the building was in such a state of disrepair that the previously planned funding to support the museum would not be enough to make the necessary repairs for the museum to safely occupy the building. On top of this, Young said the County would be relieved of the utility, maintenance, and insurance expenses as well as be able to begin collecting tax revenue from the new property owner.

The President of Echelon Resources, Mr. Gaskins, then spoke. He did admit that the site would be challenging and that he did not have all the answers. He said he enjoys working with historic properties because of their community ties. He explained that his desire to move more quickly than normal was due to historic preservation tax credits that will expire at the end of 2017.

County Attorney Gregory then spoke of the County's approach to the plan and that measures are in place to ensure that should the deal fall through or the developer not meet the requirements set, the County would regain ownership of the property. He explained that the process would be that the County would deed as a gift the existing building and the few small lots it sits upon. Then the County and the developer would negotiate the acquisition of about eight more acres by the developer. This negotiation would include sureties that the museum would be provided for as well as address any remaining concerns. The expected completion date would be 2020 although Mr. Gaskins said his desire was to be finished much sooner than that.

Aerial view of Ralph Bunche - April 2017

The floor then opened for public comment. Several speakers spoke for approving the plan with a few, including some supporters, voicing concerns about the speed at which things are going. One passionate speaker, Urzetta Lewis, said she had concerns about what felt like history being sold to the highest bidder but "it is a history that deserves to remembered and preserved." She also said that the "battle to preserve our history has been hard fought." Claudette Jordan, President of RBAA, began her comments by telling the Board that her grandparents were part of the legacy that began several courts cases and legal decisions culminating in Brown vs. Board of Education mandating desegregated schools. She then clarified that there were reports of RBAA members going around speaking out against the proposed action and that these individuals were in fact not representing RBAA. She said all members of the Executive Board approved the pending plan and that several people in the community, across the country, and even internationally were supportive. She also said "there's nothing wrong with Ralph Bunche getting a face lift" and implored the Board to vote yes to save the school.

There were questions and comments from various Board members to which the County Attorney or Mr. Gaskins answered or addressed as needed. There was a slight break in protocol as Mrs. Jordan asked Ms. Brabo if the members of RBAA attending in the audience could stand. Allowed to do so, there was a good number that stood. The Board then moved to approve the measure and it passed with all of the Board supporting it.

There was a short recess as the meeting was already lengthy and there was some noise as many of the audience left. The Board returned from recess a few minutes later a 10:05pm.

Chairwoman Brabo asked if anyone in the audience was here to speak about the Public Hearing on the Board of Equalization. With nobody speaking up, she shuffled the Agenda a bit to allow the other presenters to give their reports at a semi-reasonable hour of the night.

Ms. Young returned to quickly re-state her request from the last Board meeting for the Board to support the CISSP Grant. She did add that Fredericksburg did vote to support their own portion of the grant. The Board approved the motion to support the grant.

Andrew Grossnickle returned to give his annual audit update and, just as with the Service Authority's accounting, he said there were no major deficiencies or weaknesses. He said the General Fund was over budget on income and under budget on expenses.

Marcie Parker began her presentation from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). She started by saying the project has changed from a Corridor Study to an Arterial Preservation Plan. The major route from the Potomac River to Interstate 95 on Routes 301 and 207 was the focus of the study. The section of Route 301 from the river to Route 3 got most of the attention. The study uses existing plans from the region to stay inline with the localities but also looked at crash data, traffic, and other logistics. During her presentation she said many of the involved stakeholders, such as the County, would expect to see more hearings and meetings as things progressed in the future to get feedback and give information.

The presentation showed several changes within King George that would be planned for but not necessarily immediate. These changes included removal of some cross-overs, modifying some cross-overs to restrict travel to certain directions, and improvements to some intersections. A few of the recommended changes included a restricted cross-over at the Route 301 and Market Center intersection (the corner where Murphy's Gas Station is in Dahlgren). Another change would be to improve the Route 301 and Dahlgren Road (Route 206) intersection to add another left-turn lane from Route 206 onto Route 301 north bound. The intersection of Route 301 and Washington Mill Road would be realigned for a better approach angle. The Route 205 and Route 301 intersection would also see changes but it sounded like those were causing the County some consternation.

Proposed changes to the Route 301 and Market Center cross-over would limit traffic flow for safety.

Parker said the plan was to examine existing conditions to see how they measured up to current standards and changes would be recommended from there. With that in mind, she said several of the cross-overs should be closed or improved and the shoulders should be widened. After a comment from Brabo, Parker clarified that VDOT has not specifically advertised Route 301 as an alternate to Interstate 95 through the region. She said while VDOT does plan to reduce traffic on I-95 by five percent, Route 301 is not capable of handling that much volume and thus was not pinpointed as an alternate route. A finalized plan isn't expected until the summer of 2018 with several meetings and hearings planned prior to that.

The last Public Hearing on the Board of Equalization was then held with no presentation beyond the County Attorney stating that it just needed a motion and vote to be approved. After no citizen spoke for public comment, the motion was passed.

Eric Gregory, the County Attorney, had no report to give so the floor then went to Dr. Young, County Administrator, for certain action items on the Agenda. First up was the authorization to proceed with Phase II of the County's Compensation Plan. There was some discussion from Supervisor Howard about how he felt the final part, Phase III, that is planned to take place in a few years would not meet the pay scale necessary then and instead suggested funding everything, Phase II and Phase III, this year. After some discussion, the motion to authorize the originally planned Phase II was passed.

Next was the approval to extend the option to buy Mount View. Again there was discussion among the Board as to why the Board of Supervisors needed to approve this when it was the Economic Development Authority (EDA) that manages the Industrial Park. Gregory clarified that the original option agreement was with the Board of Supervisors and for simplicity's sake, it should remain there. A motion was made and approved to extend the option.

Other action items were quickly discussed and approved including the continuation of the Community Development Planner contract, SMART Scale Projects, and Community Policy and Management Team (CPMT) for Youth and Family Services. The SMART Scale Projects to be submitted will be a widening of the Route 3 and Route 301 intersection, a right-hand turn lane at the new stoplight at Route 218 and Route 206 intersection, and a pedestrian crosswalk across Route 301 that parallels Commerce Drive.

Dr. Young then went on to report that Annie Cupka and Tim Smith obtained a grant to install an ADA compliant observation deck at the Cedell Brooks, Jr. Park. He asked the Board to sign the acceptance letter and they agreed to do so. Young also received notice from VDOT that the bridge on Ashland Mill Road over Pine Hill Creek would be closed for replacement. [Editor's Note: It was incorrectly stated during the Board meeting that Ashland Mill Road was in the area of Indiantown Road when in fact it runs between Ridge Road (Route 205) and Canterbury Loop.] The project will begin on December 27, 2017 and last eight to ten weeks depending on weather. Young's request for an official to take over for Supervisor Howard on the Bay Consortium Workforce Development Board was tabled until January when the new Board meets for the first time.

The Board then went into Closed Session at 10:53pm for a personnel matter regarding the County Administrator. Mr. Gaskins was invited to attend. They returned from Closed session almost an hour later and adjourned.

Meeting Attendees:

Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Chairwoman, Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Absent:
John Jenkins (Board of Supervisors)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Supervisors will next meet on January 9, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Supervisors Meeting.

2017-12-19 - Part 2 - Service Authority Meeting Notes

The Service Authority Board of Directors began their meeting at 6:30pm and opened with no public comment. Chairman Christopher Werle had a short report that he attended a luncheon on December 12th and Supervisor Howard's retirement ceremony on the 14th. Ruby Brabo's report included the same luncheon as well as a recommendation that future Service Authority meetings begin at 6pm instead of 6:30pm. She also noted that Christopher Cox was awarded the Making A Difference Award. This was the first year for this award and he was the Service Authority employee chosen for making a positive contribution to the community. Winners received an embroidered hat.

Andrew Grossnickle presented his annual audit report on the Service Authority's accounts and nothing was out of order. Operating income, or net income, for the last fiscal year was roughly $470,000.

General Manager Christopher Thomas then gave his report with a roll call of the number of water and sewer connections for households and businesses. He said they were roughly halfway through the year and were at roughly the halfway mark of their expected connection status. Thomas then gave an update on the fire hydrants in the Cleydael subdivision. He said the Out Of Service tags were removed and the hydrant bonnets, or tops, were painted red to signify their flow was in the zero to 500 gallons per minute (gpm) range. This is in accordance to Chapter 5 of the National Fire Protection Association's Recommended Practice for Fire Flow Testing and Marking of Hydrants (NFPA 291) that states a Class C hydrant is one that produces less than 500 gallons per minute and should be marked with red paint on the tops and nozzle caps. Thomas did clarify a question from Brabo that there are still some hydrants in the County that need to be marked. Thomas also attended Howard's retirement and thanked both him and Cedell Brooks for their service and for being a "constant" during his tenure. Thomas said the Service Authority already gave Howard his gift and then gave Brooks a sweatshirt to which Brooks asked "Is it the right size?" This garnered a laugh from many in the audience and Thomas replied that it was indeed the right size.

The Board then went into closed session for a personnel matter regarding the General Manager at 6:47pm. Thomas returned from the closed session at 7:17pm and the rest of the Board returned from closed session a minute later and just as quickly adjourned.

Meeting Attendees:
Christopher Werle (Chairman of Board of Directors)
Christopher Thomas (General Manager of Service Authority)
Richard Granger (Board of Supervisors)
Ruby Brabo (Board of Supervisors)
Jim Howard (Board of Supervisors)
Cedell Brooks (Board of Supervisors)
Neiman Young (County Administrator)
Eric Gregory (County Attorney)

Meeting Agenda

Next Meeting:
The Board of Directors will next meet on January 9, 2018 at 6:00 pm at the Revercomb Building.

Previous Meeting:
Read about the previous Board of Directors Meeting.

2017-12-19 - Part 1 - The Swearing-In Ceremonies

The December 19, 2017 meeting of the Board of Supervisors went on for quite some time. With three public hearings, regular business, and several presentations, the meeting nearly went past their mandated time limit of midnight. But before the Board even met, there were a few other things that happened first.

The long evening started a few minutes after 6pm with the swearing in of the new Supervisors Jeff Bueche and Cathy Binder and a new School Board member, Gina Panciera. The ceremonies were short with the papers signed and oaths sworn within minutes with Vic Mason, Clerk of the Court, serving as the master of ceremonies. There was plenty of time for the newly elected officials to pose for photos while everyone waited for the Service Authority meeting to start at 6:30pm.

(from left to right: Cathy Binder, Gina Panciera, and Jeff Bueche)